Thermostatic fire-door apparatus



(No Modeli) THERMOSTA-TIG FIRE DOOR APPARATUS.

0. H. KINGSLAND Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER H. KINGSLAND, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO HENRY B. NEWHALL, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

TH ERMOSTATIC FIRE-DOOR APPARATUS.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,733, dated February 9, 1897.

Application filed April 24, 1896.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, OLIVER H. KINGSLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in Kings county and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Thermostatic Fire-Door Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for operating fire-doors and similar devices for closing passage-ways, especially in case the same he accidentally left open.

It is common to employ doors for closing passage-ways, which doors are fireproof as well as proof against ordinary entry, and to employ such a door for the usual purpose of opening and closing the passage during the hours of the day when it may be in use. Such a door is usually constructed as a self-closing door, that is, it is constructed and arranged to run on a slanting or inclined track, or is provided with means, such as springs or weights, for closing the same. In the use of such a door during ordinary business hours it is necessary to provide a bolt or similar device for holding the door open at such times as may be desired. While such a door is held open fire might occur, in which event the door would not serve its other function of protecting the passage against fire. It is therefore desirable to provide means whereby the door of the character described can be held open, and which means shall also serve to cause the door to be closed in case of the occurrence of a fire in the neighborhood of the same or the occurrence of undue heat.

The invention relates to a self-closing firedoor or one provided with mechanism acting to close it, in combination with a retaining device, bolt, or look operating to hold the door open, and with a thermostatic device controlling said lock or bolt, whereby in case the door is open at the time of the occurrence of a fire sufficient to effect the thermostatic device then the bolt will be withdrawn and the door permitted to close.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a general elevation view of a fire-door and a door-retainin g mechanism embodying my invention, the door being shown as held in po- Serial No. 588,861. (No model.)

sition or away from thepassageit is designed to close or cover. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the bolt mechanism for holding the door retracted and permitting it to close in case of fire occurring.

In the views, A represents the Wall of the building or other structure surrounding the passage B.

C is a door designed to close said passage, which door runs on an inclined track D.

In lieu of an inclined'track for causing the door to close any other device or mechanism well known to the art and acting upon the door to close the same may be substituted for such a track.

E is a bolt for holding the door retracted. This bolt or latch is pivoted at F in the casing G. In its simple form the latch or bolt is constructed so that when it is tipped forward, as shown in full lines, it Will stay in such position under the action of gravity, as also when it is tipped backward it will stay in such retracted position away from the edge of the door, as seen in dotted lines.

H is a strong spring fixed to the casing G and extending over the tailpiece I of the latch.

Attached to this spring is acord, wire,

or chain J, which passes freely through the casing and, passing over a loop K at the top of the passage-way,extends to andis attached to the wall of thepassage at L. Inserted in this cord is a thermostatic piece M of wellknown construction, adapted to melt or otherwise sever the cord by the occurrence of a temperature higher than normally it is desired to have. 4

Assuming that for any reason, as during the working hours of the day, the door is held away from the passage by the latch being drawn out to engage the edge of the same, as seen in Fig. 2, and assuming the occurrence of fire while the door is so held open, then it will be seen that upon the melting of the thermostatic piece the retracting-spring of the door-latch will be freed to operate upon the latch and cause the same to ,be retracted, whereupon the door will be freed to move to and close the passage designed to be protected by it.

The latch and the means for retracting the mostatic piece, and adapted to act to with- 10 draw said latch from engagement with the door for the purpose of allowing the door to same can be variously modified, and therefore I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown, the construction shown serving as gt type of mechanism embodying my close. 5 OLIVER II. KINGSLAND.

W'hat is claimed as new is In combination with a self-closing door, a Htncsses:

latch or bolt held by gravity in its locking position, and a spring cont-rolled by a ther- JAMES N. CATLoW, RoBT. F. GAYLORD. 

